


Signs of Home

by clutzycricket



Category: The Morganville Vampires - Rachel Caine
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, Asexual Character, Maybe - Freeform, Pre-Relationship, Tony Fucking Stark
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-24
Updated: 2015-06-09
Packaged: 2017-12-30 09:38:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1017053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clutzycricket/pseuds/clutzycricket
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Are you building a better mousetrap?" Tony asked after a moment. He sounded amused, which Claire took as a good thing. </p><p>Myrnin’s security system did kind of look… interesting. There were gears whose purpose Claire still couldn’t figure out after nearly ten years of knowning Myrnin, and while it wasn’t glowing yet, she had no doubt there wasn’t going to be something nasty coming out at need.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Are you building a better mousetrap?" Tony asked after a moment. He sounded amused, which Claire took as a good thing. 

Myrnin’s security system did kind of look… interesting. There were gears whose purpose Claire still couldn’t figure out after nearly ten years of knowning Myrnin, and while it wasn’t glowing yet, she had no doubt there wasn’t going to be something nasty coming out at need.

Myrnin blinked and looked up at him. “Back up security system. Yours is decidedly not mediocre, but I prefer having my own.”

Claire shrugged. “I can get around it at will.”

"The ultimate sign of trust," Tony grinned at her. "Is that why you insisted on bringing him in on this project?"

Not really. It had been a combination of factors- not wanting SHIELD to declare him a valuable asset, not wanting the remnants of the Daylighters and their supporters to get him, wanting to see the  _look_  on his face when he figured out about JARVIS, the look on Tony’s face when he spent more than a moment talking to Myrnin, and because this was going to be entertaining on all sorts of levels.

"We work well together," Claire said after a moment.

"Usually with certain death hanging over our necks," Myrnin added, getting an oil stain on today’s neon t-shirt. "It adds a certain urgency to most of our projects."

"Yeah, I know the feeling," Tony said, looking at the computer screens. "Any luck yet?"

"We’re waiting for JARVIS to run through the list of possibilities, see if we missed anything," Claire frowned, remembering the odd feeling of the room changing whenever she turned her back. "What was Rachel working on, anyway?" SI’s resident archivist- well, resident in New York, anyway- usually dealt with remnants of Howard Stark’s old experiments.

"Some of Dad’s stuff from the war," Tony’s face was blank. "His work with the Capsicle led him in some odd places. This one was from outside… JARVIS? Help me out?"

"Prague, sir, and may I remind you that Miss Danvers has told me that under no circumstances are you and Mr. Myrnin to be left alone." JARVIS sounded a bit smug, and Claire tried not to blush.

"I’m trying to avoid the end of the world, especially ones that end in "I wonder what this will do,"" Claire explained. "Also, not enough alcohol in the  _world_  to erase the mental images that I’m getting from that totally justified horror.”

"Fine," Tony was laughing at her, and she had a habit of finding crazy bosses, didn’t she? "I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone."

Claire threw a gear at him, causing Myrnin to blink and Tony to start cackling. 

"Do you know, this is starting to feel like old times," Myrnin said with a hint of his occasional charm. "You irritated at the world and someone falsely assuming I want your body."

She probably hadn’t thought this through enough.  “I would like to point out that I have silver on me.”

“ _Very_  much like home,” Myrnin murmured. “I did miss you, you know.”

"I missed you too," Claire waved a pipe. "Though I’m not sure my sanity did."


	2. Strange Calls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Claire begins to realize she might be the only adult in the Tower...

Claire had set a special ringtone for Myrnin after a while. She liked having the split warning before dealing with whatever new brand of chaos she would have to ride herd on.

"Hey," she answered. "I’m getting food now."

"Oh, good, I have some things we’ll need for the project," Myrnin said absently. "Though I’m not sure why we need glitter lube."

Claire stopped for a moment, and the person behind her slammed into her and cursed. “Why do you need… that.”

"I didn’t decide we needed it," Myrnin protested. "This isn’t my handwriting, unless I’ve taken up automatic writing."

"I didn’t write it down," Claire pointed out. She remembered Myrnin’s recent bouts of sociability. "Do you have a girlfriend?"

Myrnin paused at that. “No…”

"A boyfriend?" Claire asked, not sure how serious a question that was. He was a bit annoying when asked about his past. 

"No, Claire, I have no lover, just a rather nosy assistant," he said, not sounding offended at least. Oliver might have killed her for that one. 

"Well, that’s what it’s used for," Claire pointed out. "And I’m not your assistant, I’m your partner now, since I brought you into the company, remember?"

"Well, then I have a partner- I think this might actually be the pop-tart girl’s handwriting- Marcy, was it?" Myrnin sounded somewhere between amused and annoyed.

"Darcy," Claire said, remembering Darcy’s plan on revenge on one of the creepier SHIELD agents who barged into the tower every so often. "I think I know why she did it- she probably didn’t want to leave evidence, and we’ve ordered weirder things."

Claire probably couldn’t buy it without spontaneously combusting, though. Maybe she’d borrow Darcy to do some shopping…


	3. Faith, Trust, and Manic Pixie Dust

Claire sometimes wondered if had completely lost her mind, to accept a job for Tony Stark. Tony breathed crazy, in a futuristic mad scientist way.

Not to mention convincing him to bring her former boss along. Myrnin, most days, was the “retro-and-kitsch vomited a fantasy character” style of mad scientist. Between the two…

…she was really glad for Darcy and her twice-weekly calls to Eve. And Simmons, when she was in New York. Jane and Thor kind of broke her heart in ways she didn’t want to think about.

 

She looked up at the sky. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”

Myrnin raised his eyebrows. “I told you that you should have brought an umbrella. This isn’t Texas, after all.”

The past winter had gotten that through to Claire, actually. “I meant going to…”

"Ivy is an old and dear friend," Myrnin said, hands still cautiously in his pockets. (Tony had taken to calling him "Black Ribboner", until Darcy had lent him a copy of "The Truth" and Myrnin started cackling evilly and discussed weather machines until Tony had eyetwitched and leapt between nicknames, not yet landing on anything.) "She won’t  _eat_  you, Claire.”

Claire reflected on how often that sentence led to things that ended badly. (And nearly getting eaten.) “I’m not exactly filled with confidence, here.”

Myrnin  _pouted_. “Your lack of faith in me is…” He paused. “Perhaps a bit justified.”

Claire shook her head and looked carefully at the dark grey clouds. “I spend way too much time getting thrown about because of craziness, you know.” She realized how that could be taken. “Not by you. Mostly. Or… it’s not usually your fault.”

Myrnin opened his mouth and then appeared to think better of it. He pointed towards the brownstone. “Ivy should have some knowledge of the missing archivist- I believe she ran into the group that Howard Stark and the Captain worked with a few times, trying to liberate art.”

"She was one of the Monument Men?" Stark had suggested they all go see it, mostly so Steve Rogers, who was ridiculously sweet, for someone who could probably stop a rampaging vampire without breaking a sweat.

"Sort of," Myrnin tilted his head. "She and her Lucy ran with another vampire, mostly finding supernatural relics too dangerous to remain in a war zone." He smiled as he added, "Lucy was one of the vampires you helped with Bishop’s Disease, so we should find a warm welcome." 

Claire nodded and pretended not to notice the flash of blonde in the window.  Myrnin was trying to reassure her, and acting scared would make everything worse.


	4. Gloomy Green Mist and Movie Nights

"Oh,  _Myrnin_ ,” Claire said quietly. “Seriously, we need to work on a safety protocol.” She glared up at Tony, who had called Claire over to come and see some of the notebooks he had carried over.

The notebook had been dropped when Myrnin let out a wail, something tortured and inhuman that had brought back memories of the time after the Draug, when no one in Glass House slept through the night and Eve had started bringing home packets of hot chocolate and nice milk. He hadn't gone feral, but instead was curled up in a disturbingly familiar pose. Tony had put in a call to someone called Stephen Strange, who apparently might be useful in calming a cursed vampire.

JARVIS had showed them a video on the monitor nearest them, Myrnin thoughtlessly opening the crate and some sort of green mist coming out.

At least Tony was looking as furious as Claire felt, and she was suddenly selfishly grateful for Thor and Clint distracting the SHIELD agent who was calling for Myrnin to be locked up. That? Would end so badly Claire didn’t want to think about it. Not that she had to, because Claire? Knew exactly how badly Myrnin would respond. And she did not feel like getting in a shouting match with Nick Fury, on this or any other day. Bipolar steampunk vampires were much more than enough, and she didn't need to add Paranoid Leather-clad Air Pirates to her list of shit to deal with.

(Well, if worst came to worst, Tony would probably like a chance to deal with the Director. Technically, Claire and Myrnin worked for Stark Industries, not SHIELD.)

"That box he was working on wasn’t part of the inventory," Tony said after a moment.  "Darcy went to go get Steve, see if he recognized it from before he froze." 

Claire could see the box, an old steamer trunk with something embossed on the bronze straps.

Myrnin was pleading, now, with someone they couldn’t see.

"Claire, please, I’m sorry, I didn’t  _mean_ to, please wake up…” He switched into Welsh, and Claire's heart twisted when she picked out Ada's name.

Claire’s hands were balled into fists, and she repeated to herself that she could not get closer and let him know she was alive. Because then she probably wouldn't be, judging on past experience. “Talk to Jared- the hipster guy who handled the SHIELD protocol about the shipments we got from their New York base.” She closed her eyes. “Actually, can I do it?” She missed her crossbow. She missed it a _lot_. "And we should..." She frowned. "Who can we ask to help Myrnin?"

Tony’s response wasn’t anything that could be termed a smile. “I’ll go with you. I’m kinda fond of Count Dee.” 

Claire shook her head. "No- someone needs to stay with him- remind him SHIELD lackeys aren't for eating. Possibly with your repulsors." 

Eve had cracked up when Claire explained about Hannibal night, but she'd ended up picking up people who watched with them- Tony first, doodling with his tablet, Darcy showing Myrnin twitter and explaining about flower crowns, and Thor's horrified commentary making Claire's night.

They'd also gone for Dracula, mostly to see Darcy ranting about predatory bisexuals and Myrnin ranting about _everything_. Clint and Natasha had come along, and Claire had gotten to discuss crossbows and projectile weaponry with Clint, and Natasha had absently demonstrated a hip-throw for Claire and Darcy. On Tony, because he'd stolen the last of the popcorn.

Bruce and Steve had joined them for some stuff- with Darcy explaining that they had to see Harry Potter and Battlestar Galatica. Eve and Michael were coming in for the post-holiday holiday, and Claire had told Darcy they needed to do something.

Darcy had pulled out a truly horrible Captain America movie, and Myrnin cackled, despite being fond of Steve. (Apparently Myrnin had some problems with a proto-HYDRA, that had expedited his journey to Morganville.) 

Tony was looking at her with a dubious expression.

"I have had to stab him to remind him to not eat me," Claire explained, before going to go _talk_ to Jared.

~

Stephen Strange was slightly odd, Claire decided. Not quite like Myrnin- but out of the corners of her eyes she swore his appearance _changed_.

But he managed to break the hold the green mist had on him, so Claire cheerfully filed that under "Things I Don't Want To Cope With" and dragged a morose Myrnin to movie night.

 


	5. Chapter 5

"Hello, Myrnin," Nadia said, crossed legged and reading her tablet. He would be offended, but the casual settings of their forced meetings made it all the better, for him.

And for the good doctor's continued existence. She was friendly with some of the bioscientists without the corresponding tendency towards cold-bloodedness, had been the agent's wary words. Of course, Myrnin, not being completely oblivious, knew she had her own issues with some of the doctors. But she did like Nadia, so the doctor continued breathing. "Hello, Dr. Arundel," he said.

"Claire emailed me," she said, voice wry. "Also Darcy. I may have to have Agent Jones erase my messages, just in case, as I suspect murder is being planned."

"Claire is protective of all of her friends," he said, sliding on her chair. "Do you like Chianti?"

Nadia met his eyes and gave a tiny shake of her head, sending short, tight curls trembling. "I try not to drink. It makes the nice things that certain agents tell me make sense. And yes, I do get the reference. How long have you and your partner been flirting?"

Myrnin raised an eyebrow. "I've said it before, I have no interest in Claire's body."

"That, dear fellow, is awfully specific," she said, eyes narrowed. "You do realize that I was sent a tape of what happened yesterday, right?"

"I have worked with Claire for a decade through truly trying and monumental circumstances," he said, deflecting. 

"You never claim to not love her," Nadia said, smirking a bit.

"She is dear to me," he said. "Intellectually speaking. There is a spark to her, a fire that warms you and makes you want to borrow some for yourself, knowing her light is infinite and even a pale echo is far more than you deserve..." He frowned. "Empath."

"Empath," Nadia agreed, putting her tablet down. There was a faint furrow between her brows. "But not inspiring anything you didn't already have."

"She's made it clear she wants physical relationships."

"You could invest in a kinky open relationship with Stark and Potts?" Nadia said, perfectly deadpan. "I refuse to believe Potts is all that vanilla."

Myrnin tilted his head.

"...Or talk to her," she pointed out. "That would be a better option. Also? Please do not try to put her brain into a jar, or else I think Thor and Rogers will pin you like a beetle to a card."

"Of course not," he said absently.

"Beetle to a card," Nadia said, as he ran out the door.


End file.
